IIM Interview 4 - IIM Shillong

So here I was back in Kolkata for the next rounds of interview. I was busy preparing myself for the rigors of the interviews as a sincere candidate while missing all the fun and colors of HOLI that the world outside was enjoying :(. I had the Shillong and Calcutta GD/PIs on 8th and 10th of March. While this post is about the Shillong one, IIMC experience would soon follow.

We had a mid-semester examination stretch from 1st to 6th March and hence there wasn't much scope to get on with the happenings around the world and that made me lose an edge to others. To top it up I had to get the formalities done for the mischievous IIMC form!! The form required my HOD to attest my academic record, which he felt was a arduous process. As if this was not enough, I had to pursue the academic section to shell out a certificate in two days time. It was almost a run against time. Anyways all done I left on 6th evening and was back to the rest house in Kolkata on 7th night.

The next day was the IIM Shillong interview in afternoon session. For a change from all previous ones this was at IISWBM, an institute which the present director of IIM Shillong once headed. Now a new venue brings with it a altogether new search for it. Built amidst the conundrum of Collage Square it was quite a task to resolve it. But contrary to expectations the place had the standards to host an IIM interview. The auditorium was opened to act as the waiting area. We had our Group Discussion at 2:00 PM. It was a table prepared for 11 out of which only 8 had turned up to be present. The discussion was on a case related to confusion on India's official stand at WTO meeting. The decision of supporting either the EU or an Australia led group rested with the officials. The format was 5-15-5 in order of reading-discussing-summarizing. However we were cut short in the last part and were asked to return the summary paper in around 2.5 minutes.

Then again as most of the cases I was third last to appear for the interview. Presence of familiar faces from last interviews brought solace to the 3 hour wait. Finally I got the chance to present myself before the panel comprising of three professors or so do I think ( I mean if they were all professors). The right most gentleman started with the difference in CDMA and GSM and went on to antennas taking the strictest of the technical route finally yielding me to give up. Then the left-most panelist started on with women empowerment and asked me for a 2 min extempore. Thank god I went through the morning Times of India which had the cover story related to women condition in India (I later realized it was Women Empowerment Day that day). Amidst other things the central professor (or an alumni) occasionally chipped in with his seemingly sarcastic smile. I was asked about female prime ministers in the world..the first..ones at time of Indira Gandhi. Based on my statistical answers to some question they deviated finally to sample surveys and other stuff and bid goodbye after a 20 minute get together.!!